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V.  ay  land 
A  Discourse  in  Commemoration 

of  the  life  and, services  of  Wm,  G, 

C^odaara 


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littp://www.archive.org/details/discourseincommeOOwayliala 


.     A 


DISCOURSE 


IN    COMMEMORATION    OF 


THE  LIFE  AND  SERVICES 


OF 


tr 


WILLIAM  G.  GODDARD,  LL.  D. 

DELIVERED  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  THE  FACULTY, 

IN  THE  CHAPEL%  BROWN  UNIVERSITY, 

MARCH   12th,   1846. 
By  FRANCIS  WAYLAND,  D.  D. 


FRESIDEIfT   OF   BBOWN    UNIVERSITY. 


PROVIDENCE : 

B.    CRANSTON    AND    COMPANY. 

1846. 


BOSTON: 
PRESS    OF    THCBSTOIf,  TOKRT   AND   COMPANT, 

31  DsTODsbire  Street. 


DISCOURSE. 


I  RISE,  this  afternoon,  to  perform  one  of  the  sad- 
dest duties  to  which  1  have  ever  been  appointed. 
My  colleagues  have  requested  me  to  deliver  a  dis- 
course, in  commemoration  of  the  life  and  services  of 
one  very  dear  to  us  all,  but,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to 
say  it,  specially  dear  to  me.  He  was  the  first  officer 
of  this  institution  with  whom  I  had  the  honor  to  be- 
come intimately  acquainted.  Our  friendship  has  con- 
tinued, without  interruption,  from  its  commencement 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  During  the  whole  period, 
within  which  we  were  associated  as  officers  of  in- 
struction, we  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  daily,  and 
many  times  in  the  day.  The  various  plans,  which, 
since  my  knowledge  of  this  institution,  have  been 
laid,  for  the  improvement  either  of  its  course  of  ed- 
ucation or  manner  of  discipline,  have  all  received  the 
benefit  of  his  wise  and  thoughtful  consideration. 
The  principles  on  which  they  depended  were  devel- 
oped by  mature  reflection,  and  the  measures  which 
resulted  from  them  were  carried  into  effect  by  our 
mutual   labor.      And    when,   in    consequence   of    ill 


4 

health,  he  retired  from  the  duties  of  that  chair  which 
he  had  filled  with  equal  honor  to  himself  and  advan- 
tage to  the  University,  we  all  considered  his  separa- 
tion from  us  to  be  rather  in  form  than  in  fact.  We 
unanimously  invited  him  to  be  present  at  all  the 
meetings  of  the  faculty,  assured  that  his  interest 
remained  unabated  in  the  prosperity  of  the  institu- 
tion, on  whose  reputation  his  labors  had  conferred  so 
much  additional  lustre.  We  felt  that  his  talents,  and 
labor  and  fame,  were  as  much  as  ever  the  property 
of  the  University.  For  myself,  I  may  truly  say,  that, 
for  nearly  twenty  years,  I  have  taken  but  few  im- 
portant steps  the  reasons  for  which  I  have  not  dis- 
cussed in  the  freest  manner  with  him,  and  in  which, 
also,  I  have  not  been  in  a  great  degree  either  guided 
by  his  counsel  or  encouraged  by  his  approbation. 
There  is  scarcely  a  topic  in  religion  or  morals,  in 
literature  or  social  law,  on  which  either  of  us  has 
reflected,  that  we  have  not  discussed  together. 
Neither  of  us  was  fond  of  disputation,  but  both  of  us 
loved  exceedingly  the  honest  and  unstudied  inter- 
change of  opinions.  It  so  happened,  that  our  views 
upon  most  of  these  subjects  were,  in  an  unusual 
degree,  identical.  The  very  last  conversation  in 
which  we  were  engaged  related  to  those  great  truths 
revealed  to  us  by  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  belief  and  love 
of  which  all  his  spiritual  disciples  are  one.  A  few 
days  previously,  I  had  requested  his  advice  upon  a 
matter  of  some  importance  to  myself,  some  of  the 
facts  in  connection  with  which  I  then  submitted  to 
him,  while  the  farther  consideration  of  them  we  de- 
ferred to  another  occasion. 


In  a  moment,  and  all  this  interchange  of  thought, 
and  all  this  concert  of  action,  have  ceased,  and,  so  far 
as  this  world  is  concerned,  have  ceased  forever  ;  and 
while  the  living  image  of  our  associate  and  friend 
seems  yet  to  walk  among  us,  in  all  its  freshness,  I  am 
requested  to  commemorate  the  services  of  the  dead. 
You  will  all,  I  very  well  know,  sympathize  in  the 
emotions  with  which  I  undertake  this  solemn  service. 
It  is  almost  as  if  he  of  whom  I  speak  were  in  the 
midst  of  us,  to  be  the  hearer  of  his  own  eulogy.  We 
have  been  so  long  accustomed  to  his  presence  on 
every  collegiate  occasion  ;  so  few  days  have  elapsed 
since  he  occupied  his  wonted  seat  in  this  sanctuary ; 
that  we  are  unable  to  realize  the  melancholy  truth, 
that  we  shall  see  his  face  no  more.  And  besides  this, 
the  deep  feeling,  which  pervades  every  bosom,  leads 
us  instinctively  to  distrust  our  own  judgments.  On 
the  one  hand,  we  fear  lest  the  full  utterance  of  our 
sentiments  should  seem  like  panegyric ;  and  on  the 
other,  we  are  troubled  lest  eulogy,  too  much  chas- 
tened, should  do  injustice  to  the  memory  of  the  dead. 
And  yet  more  is  this  embarrassment  increased  by  the 
recollection,  that  the  occasion  necessarily  awakens,  of 
those  inimitable  delineations  of  character,  which  so 
often  flowed  from  the  pen  of  him  whose  sudden  de- 
parture we  are  now  assembled  to  deplore. 

Under  such  circumstances,  I  know  full  well  that  I 
must  fail  to  present  the  portraiture  of  the  late  Profes- 
sor Goddard,  as  he  now  reveals  himself  to  your 
memory,  and  stands  embodied  before  you  in  your 
conceptions.  I  know,  however,  that  I  am  surround- 
ed   by   his   friends,   who   will   readily   complete    the 


e 

sketch,  no  matter  how  imperfectly  executed,  which  I 
may  offer  for  their  contemplation.  I  know,  moreover, 
that  you  will  all  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  my  task, 
and  pardon  the  indistinctness  with  which  my  thoughts' 
reflect  the  beauty  and  the  symmetry  which  you  have 
so  frequently  admired  in  the  honored  and  beloved 
original. 

William  Giles  Goddard  was  born  in  Johnston,  Rhode 
Island,  January  2d  1794.  His  father  was  William 
Goddard,  Esq.,  the  son  of  Dr.  Giles  Goddard  of  New 
London,  Connecticut.  His  mother  was  the  daughter 
of  James  Angell,  Esq.,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
companions  of  Roger  Williams  in  the  settlement  of 
Rhode  Island.  Both  the  parents  of  Mr.  Goddard,  as 
well  as  his  paternal  grandmother,  were  distinguished 
for  great  intelligence,  ardent  patriotism,  and  unusual 
love  of  letters.  His  father  conducted  a  newspaper 
with  distinguished  ability,  either  in  Providence,  Phila- 
delphia, or  Baltimore,  during  the  whole  period  of  the 
revolutionary  war,  and  for  many  years  subsequently. 
He  was  also  the  first  Comptroller  of  the  Post  Office, 
and  it  is  to  his  talent  and  skill  that  we  are  indebted 
for  the  commencement  of  our  present  post  office  es- 
tablishment. 

The  first  nine  years  of  Mr.  Goddard's  life  were 
spent  upon  the  farm  in  Johnston,  to  which  his  father 
had  retired  when  he  relinquished  his  business  in  Bal- 
timore. The  family,  in  1803,  removed  to  Providence, 
where  they  have  ever  since  resided.  His  first  teacher 
in  this  city  was  the  Rev.  James  Wilson,  late  pastor 
of  the  Beneficent  Congregational  Church.  In  due 
time  he  was  prepared  for  admission  to  college,  and. 


in  the  year  1808,  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  age,- 
entered  the  freshman  class  in  this  University.  I  have 
heard  him  frequently  mention,  with  peculiar  pleasure, 
that  one  of  his  classical  instructors  was  the  Rev. 
Adoniram  Judson,  D.  D.,  missionary  to  Burmah,  at 
present  visiting  this  country  for  the  recovery  of  his 
health. 

In  college,  Mr.  Goddard  was  remarkable  for  his 
love  of  classical  literature,  but  especially  for  his  skill 
in  English  composition.  For  the  Latin  language  he 
retained  his  fondness  through  life.  At  our  regular 
term  examinations  he  frequently  discovered  a  most 
delicate  appreciation  of  the  beauties  of  Horace,  and 
detected,  with  instinctive  tact,  any  deviation,  in  trans- 
lation, from  the  meaning  of  that  author,  who  was  his 
special  favorite  of  all  the  poets  of  antiquity.  For  the 
mathematics  he  had  no  fondness,  but  rather,  I  think, 
a  positive  dislike.  This  did  not,  however,  arise  from 
any  failure  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  exact 
sciences,  either  as  an  instrument  of  discovery,  or  a 
means  of  intellectual  discipline.  He  was  by  far  too 
wise  a  man  to  undervalue  a  branch  of  knowledge  in 
which  it  was  not  his  good  fortune  to  excel.  I  appre- 
hend the  fact  to  have  been,  that  in  consequence  of 
some  mental  idiosyncrasy,  he  was  unable  to  compare 
the  mathematical  relations.  He  has  frequently  observ- 
ed to  me,  that  geometrical  figures  never  conveyed  any 
idea  whatever  to  his  mind;  and  still  more,  that  he 
could  form  no  conception  of  the  interior  of  a  build- 
ing, from  any  plan  of  it  that  was  ever  presented  to 
him.  I  have  mentioned  this  little  peculiarity,  be- 
cause, as  it  seems  to  me,  every  original  feature  of 


8 

minds  of  a  high  order  deserves  to  be  particularly  re- 
corded. 

In  September  1812,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his 
age,  Mr.  Goddard  was  admitted  to  the  first  degree 
of  the  arts,  and  shortly  afterwards  proceeded  to  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  the  law. 
He  was  there  the  pupil  of  the  late  Hon.  Francis 
Blake,  in  whose  ofifice  he  remained  for  about  a  year, 
and  of  whose  legal  ability  and  conversational  elo- 
quence he  always  spoke  with  the  highest  admiration. 
While  prosecuting  his  legal  studies,  he  devoted  a  por- 
tion of  every  day  to  labor  for  the  press.  He  became 
a  regular  contributor  to  the  columns  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Spy,  if  not  the  avowed  editor  of  that  paper ; 
and  at  this  early  age  distinguished  himself  for  the 
brilliancy  of  his  thought,  as  well  as  for  the  rare  fe- 
licity of  his  style. 

Until  this  period  of  his  life,  his  health  had  been 
uninterrupted.  At  this  time,  however,  he  was  at- 
tacked by  a  malignant  fever,  from  which,  after  almost 
all  hope  had  been  abandoned,  he  slowly  and  with 
difficulty  recovered.  The  injury,  which  his  nervous 
system  received  from  this  shock,  was  never  repaired. 
Ever  afterwards,  he  sufifered,  almost  daily,  all  the 
pains  which  embitter  the  life  of  an  invalid.  Unusual 
mental  exertion  was  almost  always  succeeded  by 
febrile  paroxysms,  which  threatened  alarming  injury, 
sometimes  to  the  brain,  and  sometimes  to  the  vital 
organs  of  the  chest.  These  attacks  were  always  sud- 
den, and  frequently  so  violent  as  to  render  him,  for 
several  days  afterward,  incapable  of  mental  exertion. 
Hence,  while  those,  who  only  saw  him  abroad,  in  the 


daily  intercourse  of  life,  might  have  wondered  that, 
with  his  unusual  powers,  he  accomplished  no  more  ; 
those  who  knew  him  at  home  were  well  aware  that 
it  was  only  by  resolution  and  self-government,  to 
which  common  men  are  strangers,  that  he  was  en- 
abled to  accomplish  so  much. 

While  the  principles  of  social  and  constitutional 
law  were  always  among  the  most  interesting  subjects 
of  study  to  Mr.  Goddard,  the  practice  of  the  legal 
profession  could  never  have  been  congenial  to  his 
tastes.  With  lungs  permanently  enfeebled  by  sick- 
ness, he  was  unfitted  for  the  labors  of  the  forum  ; 
while  his  soul  was  too  sensitively  alive  to  the  beauti- 
ful, to  become  wedded  to  an  intellectual  pursuit  of 
which  the  pervading  element  is  logic.  He,  there- 
fore, in  the  year  1814,  relinquished  the  study  of  the 
law,  and,  having  chosen  the  profession  of  an  editor, 
as  his  occupation  for  life,  returned  to  Providence  and 
purchased  the  Rhode  Island  American,  a  paper  which 
he  conducted  until  the  year  1825.  During  a  part  of 
this  period  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  James  D. 
Knowles,  afterwards  a  distinguished  clergyman  of  the 
Baptist  persuasion,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Professor  of  Pulpit  Eloquence  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Newton,  Mass.  For  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  time,  however,  the  duties  of  editor  and 
publisher  were  discharged  wholly  by  Mr.  Goddard 
himself. 

Mr.  Goddard  had  formed  very  just  conceptions  of 
the  moral  and  social  obligations  devolving  upon  the 
conductor  of  a  public  press.  He  believed  it  to  be 
the  duty  of  an  editor  not  merely  to  abstain  from  out- 


raging  the  moral  sentiment  of  a  community  ;  but, 
still  more,  by  holding  forth  examples  of  preeminent 
virtue,  and  inculcating  the  principles  of  everlasting 
truth,  to  elevate  the  standard  of  public  manners,  and 
teach  the  wayward  passions  of  men  obedience  to  con- 
science and  reverence  for  law.  He  believed,  that  by 
constantly  presenting,  to  the  eye  of  the  public,  images 
of  beauty,  the  press  might  exert  a  powerful  influence 
in  forming  and  purifying  the  national  taste.  He 
thought  it  incumbent  upon  him,  on  all  suitable  occa- 
sions, to  arouse  the  spirit  of  the  State,  to  combine 
together  good  men  of  every  name,  in  the  promotion  of 
every  enterprise  by  which  the  ignorant  might  be  en- 
lightened, or  the  vicious  reclaimed  ;  by  which  vice 
might  be  deprived  of  its  means  of  fascination,  or  vir- 
tue endowed  with  new  elements  of  attractiveness  ; 
by  which  the  intelligent  and  the  wealthy  might  be 
excited  to  beneficence,  and  the  poor  and  uncultivated 
be  encouraged  to  self-dependence. 

In  conformity  with  these  views,  the  press,  under 
Mr.  Goddard's  superintendence,  was  ever  conducted. 
The  columns  of  his  paper  were  always  enriched  with 
the  choicest  gems  of  English  literature.  His  editorial 
writings  were  remarkable  for  the  high  spirit  of  indi- 
vidual and  social  morality,  which  breathed  in  every 
line,  no  less  than  for  the  pure,  yet  sparkling  and  epi- 
grammatic English,  in  which  every  sentiment  was 
clothed.  Though  he  espoused  with  youthful  ardor 
the  political  opinions  he  ever  afterwards  professed, 
yet,  as  1  have  been  informed,  he  never  in  a  single 
instance  forfeited  the  personal  respect  of  his  warmest 
opponents.     To  every  judicious  effort  to  promote  the 


11 

welfare  of  his  fellow  citizens,  he  gave  his  willing  and 
earnest  support ;  and  some  of  our  most  valuable  pub- 
lic charities  owe  their  origin  to  the  editorial  labors  of 
this  portion  of  his  life.  Of  this  number  is  the 
Providence  Institution  for  Savings,  the  objects  and 
advantages  of  which  he  first  laid  before  the  public 
in  this  city,  and  to  the  establishment  of  which,  his 
efforts  contributed  more  than  those  of  any  other  in- 
dividual. 

While  Mr.  Goddard  was  employed  in  conducting  a 
public  press,  he  yet  found  leisure  for  extensive  and 
varied  literary  acquisitions.  The  remark  made  re- 
specting the  late  Lord  Holland,  that  "you  could  never 
call  upon  him  without  finding  him  with  a  good  book 
in  his  hand,"  might,  with  singular  truth,  be  applied 
to  our  lamented  friend.  Though  emphatically  a  lit- 
erary man,  there  are  few  men  whose  reading  was 
selected  with  more  severe  discrimination.  For  ordi- 
nary fictitious  literature  he  seemed  to  me  to  have 
scarcely  any  fondness.  The  lighter  forms  of  poetry 
had  but  few  attractions  for  him,  while  of  the  gems  of 
verse  he  was  a  fervent  yet  discriminating  admirer. 
He  most  delighted  in  the  classical  English  authors  on 
religion  and  morals,  on  general  politics,  social  order, 
and  the  progress  of  civilization.  On  the  latter  sub- 
ject he  was  accustomed  to  reflect  with  enthusiastic 
pleasure.  Among  political  authors,  I  think  that  his 
favorites  were  Burke,  Hamilton,  and  Madison.  His 
chosen  divines  were  Barrow,  South,  and,  in  later 
years,  Whately.  Of  the  metaphysicians  he  preferred 
Dugald  Stewart,  and  derived  great  pleasure  from 
contemplating  the  vigorous  thought,  and   tracing  the 


12 

masterly  generalizations  of  that  accomplished  phi- 
losopher. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  com- 
menced the  reperusal  of  Lord  Bacon. 

Pursuing  such  courses  of  reading,  it  is  obvious  that 
Mr.  Goddard  was  unconsciously  preparing  himself  for 
a  different  sphere  of  usefulness  from  that  which  he 
had  thus  far  occupied.  The  opportunity  for  a  change 
presented  itself  in  the  year  1825.  At  this  time,  the 
Rev.  Calvin  Park,  D.  D.  resigned  the  professorship 
of  Moral  Philosophy  and  Metaphysics,  in  this  Uni- 
versity ;  and  Mr.  Goddard  was  elected  to  the  vacant 
chair.  He  relinquished,  at  once,  all  other  employ- 
ment, and  entered  immediately  upon  the  duties  of  his 
new  situation.  It  was  in  the  second  year  of  his  pro- 
fessorship that  our  acquaintance  commenced. 

Professor  Goddard  occupied  the  chair  of  Moral 
Philosophy  and  Metaphysics,  in  this  University,  from 
the  year  1825  to  the  year  1834.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  latter  year,  in  compliance  with  his  own 
request,  the  duties  of  the  Professor  of  Moral  Philoso- 
phy and  Metaphysics  were  assigned  to  the  President, 
and  he  became  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres.  He  held 
this  latter  professorship  until  the  year  1842,  when,  in 
consequence  of  ill  health,  he  resigned  all  connexion 
with  the  instruction  of  the  University.  In  fact,  for 
several  years  previous  to  his  resignation,  he  had 
declined  all  regular  and  daily  service,  and  had,  in 
consequence,  refused  the  compensation  which  was 
annually  voted  to  him  by  the  corporation. 

It  became  the  duty  of  Professor  Goddard,  imme- 
diately after  his  appointment,  to  conduct  the  studies 
of  the  senior  and  junior  classes  in  moral  and  intel- 


13 

lectual  philosophy,  and  in  some  portions  of  our  usual 
course  in  rhetoric  and  belles  lettres.  For  the  former 
of  these  departments  he  felt  that  he  had  no  peculiar 
aptitude,  and  very  soon,  by  mutual  arrangement  with 
his  colleagues,  he  was  relieved  from  the  labor  of 
this  branch  of  instruction.  He  was  thus  enabled, 
with  great  advantage  to  the  University,  to  devote 
himself  to  those  studies  to  which  he  was  ardently 
attached,  and  for  the  instruction  in  which  he  pos- 
sessed peculiar  and  acknowledged  ability.  It  hence 
happened,  that  during  the  greater  portion  of  his 
connexion  with  the  University,  he  gave  instruction 
mainly  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  rhetoric,  the 
evidences  of  natural  and  revealed  religion,  and  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States. 

The  success,  to  which  Professor  Goddard  attained 
as  an  instructor,  did  not  result  from  rigid  analysis 
of  a  science,  or  minute  and  critical  acquaintance  with 
an  author.  His  mind  rather  reluctated  from  those 
forms  of  intellectual  labor  on  which  such  knowl- 
edge depends.  He  excelled  rather  in  unfolding 
such  general  views  as  illustrate  the  principles  of 
a  science,  by  tracng  their  effects  upon  the  condi- 
tion and  changes  of  society,  and  by  exhibiting  their 
influence  in  the  formation  of  individual  character. 
He  labored  to  enkindle  in  the  bosoms  of  his 
pupils  a  love  of  truth,  of  virtue,  and  of  good- 
ness. He  was  also  preeminently  successful  in  crea- 
ting in  the  minds  of  the  undergraduates  a  just  ap- 
preciation of  the  beauties  of  English  composition. 
His  correction  of  their  class-papers  was  elaborate 
almost    beyond   belief;    so    that    every    dissertation, 


14 

as  it  was  returned  from  his  hands,  presented  to  the 
student  a  model  of  finished  excellence  with  which 
his  own  rude  and  imperfect  attempt  could  be  plainly 
and  visibly  contrasted.  Whatever  be  the  improve- 
ments which  our  undergraduates  of  the  present  day 
may  have  made  upon  the  attainments  of  their  pre- 
decessors, let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  this  im- 
provement was  commenced,  and  for  many  years 
carried  forward,  solely  by  the  labors  of  Professor 
Goddard.  Perhaps,  however,  in  no  department  did 
he  so  much  excel,  as  in  his  prelections  upon  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States.  With  the  his- 
tory of  the  formation  and  adoption  of  this  instru- 
ment he  was  minutely  familiar.  Each  one  of  its 
provisions  had,  at  various  times,  been  the  object  of 
his  careful  examination  and  laborious  thought.  His 
pursuits  had  rendered  him  accurately  acquainted 
with  the  political  history  of  our  country,  from 
the  adoption  of  the  constitution  to  the  present  mo- 
ment. His  recitations  thus  assumed  the  form  of 
an  extemporaneous  lecture,  or  commentary  upon  the 
text,  in  which  a  marvellous  acuteness  of  discrimina- 
tion was  illustrated  by  the  results  of  extensive  and 
accurate  research ;  while  both  were  rendered  at- 
tractive by  rare  felicity  of  diction,  and  the  charms 
of  an  animating  eloquence. 

When  Professor  Goddard  relinquished  his  connex- 
ion with  the  duties  of  instruction,  he  by  no  means 
intended  to  wear  out  his  life  in  indolent  leisure.  He 
encouraged  himself  in  the  hope  that  he  should  be 
enabled  to  devote  himself  to  the  composition  of  some 
work   of  permanent   value   to    the   cause   of   morals 


15 

and  good  learning.  The  opportunity,  however,  was 
never  granted  to  him.  His  fellow  citizens,  as  though 
it  were  a  matter  of  course,  seemed  to  expect  his 
assistance,  whenever  any  good  design  required  that 
an  appeal  should  be  made  to  the  public,  or  when- 
ever the  management  of  an  important  trust  demand- 
ed the  skill  of  a  cultivated  intellect,  and  the  impulses 
of  a  benevolent  heart.  There  is  scarcely  an  institu- 
tion among  us,  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  general 
intelligence,  or  the  relief  of  suffering  humanity,  which 
has  not  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his  counsel  and  ad- 
vice. Immediately  after  he  resigned  his  professor- 
ship, he  was  chosen  a  trustee  of  this  University.  In 
the  year  1843,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Fellows,  and  Secretary  of  the  Corporation.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  our  library  committee,  and 
of  several  of  the  committees  of  examination.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Providence  Athenaeum,  and,  until  the  year  before 
his  death,  when  he  resigned  the  office,  the  vice 
president  of  that  institution.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  school  committee  of  the  city,  a  director  of  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  for  many  years  a 
warden  of  St.  John's  Church,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  a  representative  of  this  city  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State.  It  is,  moreover,  deserving  of 
special  remark,  that  he  always  refused  to  hold  an 
office  as  a  matter  of  form.  It  was  his  rule  to  decline 
an  appointment,  whenever  he  found  himself  unable 
to  perform  the  duties  which  it  imposed.  I  presume 
that  his  associates  in  the  several  boards  of  which  he 
was  a  member  will  testify,  that  they  rarely  embarked 


16 

in  any  important  undertaking  without  seeking  his 
advice ;  and  that,  from  the  advice  which  he  gave, 
they  very  rarely  found  it  wise  to  dissent.  Such 
was  certainly  the  case  in  all  the  instances  in  which 
I  had  the  honor  to  be  associated  with  him. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  President  Har- 
rison, Mr.  Goddard  was  chosen  by  the  municipal 
authorities  of  this  city  to  deliver  the  address  on  the 
day  of  public  humiliation.  When  the  government 
of  the  State  was  organized  under  the  new  constitu- 
tion, he  was  also  selected  to  pronounce  a  discourse, 
in  commemoration  of  that  event,  in  the  presence  of 
the  governor  and  both  branches  of  the  legislature. 
In  the  year  1843,  the  corporation  of  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws. 

The  death  of  Professor  Goddard  was  awfully  sud- 
den. In  the  enjoyment  of  rather  more  than  his 
usual  measure  of  health,  he  sat  down  at  his  dinner 
table,  on  Monday,  the  16th  of  February  last.  Very 
soon  he  arose  in  the  agony  produced  by  strangulation  ; 
and,  in  a  few  moments,  surrounded  by  his  family, 
who  were  incapable  of  rendering  him  any  assistance, 
he  expired.  On  the  2d  day  of  the  preceding  Jan- 
uary he  had  completed  his  fifty-second  year. 

If  I  have  correctly  estimated  the  character  of  Mr. 
Goddard,  its  most  remarkable  feature  was  delicate 
and  discriminating  sensibility.  I  have  already  re- 
marked that  he  possessed  neither  taste  for  the  math- 
ematics nor  aptitude  for  tracing  the  relations  which 
they  discover.  This  observation  might  with  truth 
be  more  widely  extended.     He  had   no  fondness  for 


17 

abstruse  reasoning  of  any  kind  ;  and  I  presume  rarely 
followed  the  successive  steps  of  an  intricate  meta- 
physical argument  to  its  conclusion.  But  it  was 
equally  true,  that  by  a  sort  of  instinctive  sensibility, 
he  seemed  to  arrive  at  precisely  the  same  result 
which  minds  differently  endowed  apprehended  only 
by  the  slower  process  of  ratiocination.  His  criti- 
cal perceptions  were  more  exquisitely  delicate  than 
those  of  any  man  whom  I  have  ever  known.  His 
friends  never  ceased  to  admire  his  unsurpassed  power 
of  discerning  the  most  microscopic  want  of  adjust- 
ment between  a  thought  and  the  language  in  which 
it  was  clothed.  He  saw  intuitively  the  precise  form 
which  an  idea  should  assume,  in  any  portion  of  a 
discourse,  and  the  very  tinge  and  junction  of  words 
which  would  most  clearly  and  happily  develop  it. 
He  frequently  could  not  give  the  reason  for  his 
choice  of  an  expression,  and  he  might  sometimes 
ask  the  reason  of  others ;  but  the  reason  always 
existed,  and  bore  testimony  to  the  accuracy  of  his 
judgment.  Hence  the  study  of  the  science  of  rhe- 
toric produced  but  little  effect  upon  his  style.  It 
seemed  not  to  teach  him  to  write,  in  any  respect, 
either  with  greater  accuracy  or  elegance,  but  only  to 
give  him  firmer  confidence  in  the  decisions  of  his 
own  sensibility.  He  learned  from  the  study  of  rules 
to  write  with  less  anxiety,  and  to  correct  with  greater 
rapidity,  inasmuch  as  he  thus  kneio  that  he  was  right, 
when  before  he  had  ovXyfelt  it. 

The  oration  which  he  pronounced  before  the  Rhode 
Island  Society  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  at  the  com- 
mencement in  1836,  furnishes  a  favorable  specimen  of 


18 

Mr.  Goddard's  literary  ability.  The  reader  will  im- 
mediately perceive  that  no  labor  has  been  expended, 
either  upon  the  general  plan  of  the  discourse,  or  upon 
the  separate  arrangement  of  its  parts.  The  course  of 
thought  is  not  confined  by  the  pressure  of  any  general 
and  all  pervading  idea.  The  several  paragraphs,  like 
handfuls  of  pearls,  are  rather  grouped  together  by 
feeling,  than  marshalled  by  the  understanding.  And 
yet  it  seems  to  me  that  few  tracts  are  to  be  found  in 
our  language,  in  which  so  much  manly  and  *  large 
round  about  sense'  is  clothed  in  a  style  at  once  so 
negatively  faultless,  and  so  positively  beautiful.  Every 
sentence  seems  a  maxim  of  unquestioned  authority ; 
and  yet  there  is  nothing  either  startling,  labored,  or 
out  of  keeping.  It  all  seems  the  spontaneous  effusion 
of  a  mind  of  which  such  things  were  the  ordinary  pro- 
duct. I  have  read  this  discourse  lately,  and  was 
struck  with  the  similarity  of  its  thoughts  to  those  of 
Lord  Bacon's  Essays,  a  book  which  I  had  but  just  laid 
down ;  while  the  exquisite  finish  of  the  style  some- 
times reminded  me  of  the  vigor  of  Johnson,  and,  at 
others,  of  the  splendor  of  Burke. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  department  of  literature  alone, 
that  this  delicate  and  discriminating  sensibility  pre- 
dominated. The  same  peculiarity  might  be  observed 
in  Mr.  Goddard's  studies,  when  they  partook  of  a 
severer  character.  He  was,  as  I  have  said,  a  diligent 
and  profound  thinker  upon  all  subjects  of  religion, 
morals,  general  politics,  and  human  civilization.  But 
even  here,  he  appeared  to  arrive  at  the  result  in  which 
he  rested,  rather  by  a  moral  intuition  than  by  any 
process  of  reasoning.     His  spiritual  discernment  seem- 


19 

ed  to  indicate  to  him  what  the  law  should  be,  and, 
upon  investigation,  he  found  his  opinions  confirmed  by 
the  highest  authorities.  Hence,  in  his  reading,  he 
rather  sought  for  the  truths  which  our  great  teachers 
have  discovered,  than  for  the  processes  by  which  their 
discoveries  have  been  effected.  To  theological  con- 
troversy he  paid  but  little  attention ;  but  of  sermons, 
or  other  religious  writings,  which  lay  bare  the  human 
heart,  or  reveal  to  us  the  precepts  of  duty,  or  present 
the  scriptural  motives  for  well  doing,  he  was  a  diligent 
and  earnest  student.  Of  the  various  theories  of  social 
order,  he  knew  but  little,  and  he  cared  even  less. 
Let  a  case,  however,  be  presented,  which  involved  the 
essential  principles  either  of  individual  or  social  right, 
and  he  would  seize  upon  it  in  an  instant ;  and  it 
would  not  be  long  before  he  had  formed  a  definite  and 
earnest  opinion  in  respect  to  it.  He  might  not  be 
able  to  give  a  logical  reason  for  his  opinion ;  but  the 
opinion  would  be,  with  singular  certainty,  correct, 
and  he  would  so  present  it  to  the  public  as  to  leave  an 
impression  which  no  argument  could  readily  efface. 

As  a  specimen  of  Mr.  Goddard's  habits  of  thought 
on  the  grave  questions  of  social  right,  I  would  refer 
to  his  discourse  on  the  occasion  of  the  change  of  the 
civil  government  of  Rhode  Island.  In  this  address, 
after  glancing  at  some  of  the  more  prominent  facts  in 
the  early  history  of  his  native  State,  he  proceeds  to 
explain  and  illustrate  the  principles  involved  in  the 
constitution  under  which  she  was  henceforth  to  be 
governed.  His  style  becomes  at  once  grave,  simple 
and  earnest;  abjuring  all  ornament,  and  appealing 
directly  to  the  reason  and  the  conscience  of  his  hear- 


20 

ers.  The  whole  discourse,  replete  with  the  most  im- 
portant maxims  on  the  science  of  government,  clearly 
indicates  a  mind  in  which  a  knowledge  of  the  theo- 
retical and  practical  is  happily  blended ;  a  mind  accus- 
tomed to  contemplate  truth,  both  in  its  widest  gener- 
alizations, and  in  its  minutest  applications  ;  that  could 
discover  the  unchangeable  principles  on  which  social 
law  is  founded,  and  at  the  same  time  acknowledge 
the  modifications  which  that  law  must  assume,  when 
it  is  brought  into  contact  with  the  passions  and  sel- 
fishness of  our  imperfect  nature.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber any  commentary  upon  the  nature  of  our  free 
institutions,  which,  in  so  few  pages,  contains  so  much 
that  is  of  permanent  value. 

It  might  seem  the  result  of  a  studied  reserve,  were 
I,  in  this   connexion,  to   make  no   reference  to  the 
writings  of  Professor  Goddard,  during   the   political 
agitations  of  this  State,  a  few  years  since.     It  is  well 
known,   that  as  soon  as  any  serious  danger  to   our 
institutions  was  apprehended,  he  stood  forth   the  un- 
wavering advocate  of  justice  and  truth,  of  liberty  and 
law.    His  essays  for  the  daily  press,  during  this  period 
alone,  would  fill  a  moderately  sized  volume.      Day 
after   day,   he    explained   to   his   fellow  citizens  the 
principles   of  rational  liberty;    he   laid  bare,  with   a 
masterly  hand,  the  distinction   between   liberty   and 
licentiousness;  and  when  at  last  the  crisis  arrived  — 
with  an  eloquence   that  fired  the  soul  of  every  true 
hearted  man,  he  urged  us  all  to  unite  in  defence   of 
that  heritage  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  which  God 
had  bestowed  upon  our  fathers.    In  this  cause  he  labor- 
ed on,  amid  sickness  and  infirmity,  through  good  report 


21 

and  through  evil  report,  until  the  efforts  of  patriotism 
were  crowned  with  triumphant  success.  And  he 
labored,  as  every  one  of  you  knows,  from  the  pure 
love  of  right.  All  the  ends  he  aimed  at,  were  his 
country's,  his  God's,  and  truth's.  He  desired  noth- 
ing, either  for  himself  or  his  friends,  which  he  did  not 
equally  desire  for  the  humblest  citizen  amongst  us. 
He  labored  to  sustain  a  government  which  should 
secure  to  every  citizen  the  rights  conferred  upon  him 
by  his  Creator,  and  which  should  guard  those  rights 
with  equal  vigilance,  both  against  the  oppressions  of 
the  many,  and  the  tyranny  of  the  few.  It  is  in  no 
small  degree  owing  to  his  labors,  that  the  success  of 
these  principles  in  our  little  State  may  be  attributed. 

The  manners  of  Professor  Goddard  were  courteous 
and  refined.  His  personal  habits,  without  being  pain- 
fully exact,  were  scrupulously  neat,  and  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  character  of  a  literary  citizen.  His 
conversation,  sometimes  playful,  never  frivolous,  was 
always  instructive,  and  at  times  singularly  forcible, 
captivating  and  eloquent.  His  tastes  were  simple 
and  easily  gratified  ;  and  I  think  that  he  preferred  a 
book  in  his  study,  or  a  conversation  at  the  fireside 
with  a  friend,  to  any  form  of  more  exciting  and  out- 
door enjoyment.  He  was,  both  from  nature  and  prin- 
ciple, eminently,  but  with  discrimination,  charitable. 
To  the  judiciously  benevolent  institutions  of  our  city 
he  was  a  liberal  and  frequently  an  unsolicited  contrib- 
utor. Nor  did  his  charity  exhaust  itself  in  making 
others  the  almoners  of  his  bounty.  He  sought  out 
the  poor  and  infirm,  the  disconsolate  and  the  forgot- 
ten, and  specially  those  who  in  age  were  suffering 


22 

from  the  mutability  of  fortune  ;  and,  while  he  re- 
lieved their  wants  by  pecuniary  aid,  soothed  their 
sorrows  by  his  sympathy,  and  animated  their  hopes 
by  his  cheerful  encouragement.  One  of  his  last  visits, 
only  a  few  days  before  his  death,  was  made  to  an 
aged  widow,  who  has  since  followed  him  into  eter- 
nity, to  whom  he  communicated  alms ;  while,  as  she 
herself  told  me,  he  consoled  her  sinking  spirit  by  the 
humble  piety  of  his  conversation. 

The  religious  opinions  of  Professor  Goddard  were 
those  of  the  divines  of  the  English  reformation.  He 
believed  most  fully  in  those  doctrines  which  teach 
the  moral  corruption  of  the  human  heart,  the  necessity 
of  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  to  our  moral  transfor- 
mation, and  that  our  only  hope  of  salvation  rests  upon 
the  atonement  by  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  conscien- 
tiously attached  to  the  Episcopal  Church  ;  but,  mak- 
ing a  wise  distinction  between  spiritual  religion  and 
the  various  modes  in  which  it  may  be  manifested,  he 
loved  true  piety,  wherever  he  discovered  it,  '  with 
a  pure  heart  fervently.'  He  carried  into  daily  prac- 
tice the  sentiment  which  he  uttered  only  a  few  days 
before  his  death.  *  The  longer  I  live,'  said  he,  '  the 
more  dearly  do  I  prize  being  a  Christian  ;  and  the 
more  signally  unimportant  seem  to  me  the  differences 
by  which  true  Christians  are  separated  from  each 
other.'  1  do  not  remember  to  have  known  a  person 
who,  with  so  ardent  an  attachment  to  the  truths 
which  he  believed,  combined  so  fervent  and  compre- 
hensive a  charity  for  all  that  loved  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity. 

I  have  been  informed  that,  in  youth,  Mr.  Goddard 


23 

was  as  thoughtless  as  other  men,  in  respect  to  his 
relations  to  God.  In  early  manhood,  however,  a 
change  in  his  religious  views  was  known  by  his 
friends  to  have  taken  place.  More  than  twenty  years 
since,  he  wrote  thus  concerning  himself :  '  My  inter- 
est in  the  one  thing  needful  is  becoming  a  deeper  and 
more  habitual  sentiment  of  the  soul.  At  all  times,  I 
have  a  powerful  conviction  of  the  utter  worth! essn ess 
of  earthly  things  compared  with  the  enjoyments  and 
consolations  of  Christianity.  The  fruits  of  a  various 
experience,  the  warnings  and  the  chastisements  of 
heaven,  I  would  hope,  have  not  been  lost  upon  me ; 
and  amid  the  trials  and  contests  of  life,  the  hopes  of 
my  spirit  are  centered  upon  that  peace  which  the 
.  world  cannot  give.  1  have  a  deep  and  abiding  con- 
viction of  the  sinfulness  of  my  nature  ;  but  my  con- 
science often  chides  me  for  the  languor  of  my  ap- 
proaches towards  Him,  who  has  given  to  every  sinner 
the  most  winning  assurances  of  pardon  and  accept- 
ance through  the  merits  of  His  Son.  My  feelings 
will  never  permit  me  to  discourse  familiarly  on  these 
subjects  ;  but  I  do  not  despair  of  attaining,  through 
divine  assistance,  that  full  hope  of  immortality,  which 
can  alone  give  dignity  to  the  pursuits  of  existence, 
and  impart  joy  and  peace  at  the  hour  of  death.'  '  I 
hang  my  trembling  hope  on  the  cross  of  Christ  alone.' 
From  this  time,  his  friends  observed  that  religious 
truth  was  gradually  obtaining  a  more  controlling  influ- 
ence over  his  opinions,  his  affections  and  his  practice. 
As  he  grew  older,  his  love  for  piety,  simple,  obscure, 
unadorned  piety,  became  more  ardent  and  reverential. 
His  charity  was  more  earnestly  directed  to  the  spirit- 


24 

ual  wants  of  man.  His  conversation,  especially  of 
late  years,  seemed  to  me  to  move  in  constant  parallel- 
ism with  religious  ideas ;  and  it  spontaneously  turned 
towards  them,  as  if  his  mind  dwelt  in  habitual  con- 
templation of  the  vanities  of  time  and  the  realities  of 
eternity.  He  became  more  prompt  in  avowing  his 
religious  sentiments  on  all  occasions,  and  in  their 
relation  to  every  subject.  His  reading  became  more 
exclusively  religious.  Sermons  of  the  English  divines, 
especially  those  of  a  practical  character,  became  his 
constant  study.  He  more  frequently  made  religion 
the  subject  of  conversation  in  the  domestic  circle.  On 
Sunday,  the  day  before  his  death — his  family  having 
been  detained  from  public  worship  in  consequence  of 
a  violent  storm — after  family  prayers  were  concluded, 
he  read  for  their  instruction  some  interesting  passages 
which  he  had  selected  from  the  sermons  of  Arch- 
bishop Whately ;  interspersing  them  with  impressive 
remarks  of  his  own,  on  the  subject  of  the  importance 
of  religion.  These  were  his  dying  counsel.  It  is  by 
such  precept  and  example  that  '  he,  being  dead,  yet 
speaketh.' 

It  is,  however,  proper  for  me  to  add,  that  though 
exhibiting  such  evidence  of  piety,  Mr.  Goddard  never 
united  himself  with  a  Christian  church,  by  a  public 
profession  of  his  faith.  1  can  in  no  manner  so  forcibly 
or  so  beautifully  express  what  seem  to  me  the  senti- 
ments appropriate  to  such  an  announcement,  as  by 
quoting  a  paragraph,  written  by  Mr.  Goddard  himself, 
in  relation  to  the  late  Honorable  Nicholas  Brown. 
'  Mr.  Brown,  it  is  somewhat  remarkable,  never  made 
any  public  profession  of  that  faith  in  Christ,  which. 


25 

from  the  tenor  of  his  life,  was  seen  to  be  the  ani- 
mating motive  of  his  conduct,  the  fountain  of  his 
highest  consolation,  the  ground  of  his  everlasting 
hopes.  What  withheld  him  from  the  discharge  of 
this  duty,  it  would  not  now  be  pertinent  to  inquire. 
It  ought,  however,  in  this  connexion  to  be  added,  that 
few  men  exhibited  on  all  occasions  a  profounder  reve- 
rence for  Christianity,  a  more  devout  attention  to  its 
simple  and  venerable  forms,  or  a  more  fervent  desire 
that  himself  and  others  might  be  filled  with  its  life- 
giving  spirit.  He  read  the  Holy  Scriptures  with  pious 
diligence,  and  he  was  extremely  familiar  with  works 
on  didactic  theology  and  practical  piety.  He  read, 
moreover,  in  a  thoughtful  mood,  the  lessons  of  mor- 
tality which  are  taught  by  the  daily  experience  of 
life ;  and,  foreseeing  that  the  days  of  darkness,  which 
had  come  to  others,  must  also  come  to  him,  he  looked 
beyond  himself  for  light  to  cheer  the  path  of  his  pil- 
grimage ;  for  an  almighty  arm  to  sustain  him  amidst 
the  swellings  of  Jordan.' 

The  death  of  such  a  man,  at  any  time,  is  always 
felt  to  be  an  irreparable  loss.  I,  however,  remember 
no  instance,  since  my  residence  in  this  city,  in  which 
this  sentiment  has  been  so  deep  and  universal.  The 
sphere  of  eminent  usefulness,  which  Mr.  Goddard 
filled,  was  peculiar  and  uncommon.  It  rarely  happens 
that  affluence  is  granted  to  men  of  so  varied  learning, 
so  cultivated  taste,  and  so  elevated  moral  principle. 
Still  more  rarely  are  these  advantages  combined  with 
the  leisure  and  the  will  to  use  them  with  disinterested 
zeal  for  the  benefit  of  the  community.  But  it  was 
while  thus  employing  his  varied  talents,  that  Mr.  God- 


26 

dard  was  so  suddenly  removed  from  the  midst  of  us. 
At  no  time  of  his  life  had  his  influence  been  so  widely 
acknowledged  and  so  beneficially  felt,  as  at  the  very 
moment  when  it  all  ceased  forever.  When  we  think 
of  the  intellectual  and  moral  light  which  he  diffused, 
of  the  trusts  which  he  held,  of  the  courses  of  thought 
and  action  which  he  directed,  we  seem  to  look  in 
vain,  I  do  not  say  for  the  man,  but  for  the  men,  by 
whom  his  place  is  to  be  supplied.  Our  only  hope  is 
in  God.  *  Help,  Lord,  for  the  godly  man  ceaseth  ; 
for  the  faithful  fail  from  among  the  children  of  men.' 

But  what,  let  us  inquire,  are  the  sentiments  which 
it  is  becoming  in  us  to  cherish  on  the  occasion  of  so 
mournful  a  bereavement  ?  In  the  first  place,  let  us 
bow  in  submission  before  the  face  of  our  Father  in 
heaven,  who,  in  inscrutable  wisdom,  and  yet  paren- 
tal goodness,  has  inflicted  upon  us  this  sore  calamity. 
He  endowed  our  departed  associate  and  friend  with 
the  intellectual  powers  and  the  spiritual  graces  which 
made  him,  for  many  years,  a  burning  and  a  shining 
light.  At  the  time  which  He  had  chosen,  and  in 
the  manner  that  He  himself  had  selected.  He  has  re- 
moved him  from  this  world  of  trial,  and  raised  him  to 
his  sanctuary  of  rest.  *  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.' 

A  high-minded  and  public  spirited  citizen,  who 
has,  for  many  years,  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his 
eminent  ability  to  the  promotion  of  every  design  by 
which  we  and  our  children  could  be  rendered  wiser 
and  better,  has  ceased  from  his  labors.  A  more  sol- 
emn and  urgent  responsibility  is  devolved  upon  every 
one   of  us  who  remains.      Let  us  cheerfully  assume 


27 

those  public  burdens  which  our  associate  and  friend 
laid  down  only  with  his  life.  Let  his  example  teach 
us  that  the  cause  of  truth  and  justice,  the  cause  of 
liberty  and  law,  of  charity  and  piety,  are  well  worth 
living  for.  Highly  as  we  esteem  the  various  gifts  of 
our  lamented  friend,  it  is  for  the  use  which  he  made 
of  them,  that  now  we  chiefly  venerate  him.  Though 
we  may  not  be  able  to  supply  the  loss  which  the  com- 
munity has  sustained  in  this  calamity,  yet  if  each 
one  of  us  labors  with  an  honest  and  earnest  spirit, 
our  humble  offering  will  be  acceptable  to  the  Mas- 
ter. 

And  lastly,  how  solemn  an  admonition  does  this 
event  bring  home  to  the  bosom  of  each  one  of  us. 
We  are  most  impressively  reminded,  that  no  preemi- 
nence of  usefulness,  no  ties  of  affection,  no  gifts  of 
nature  or  advantages  of  fortune,  can  offer  to  us  the 
least  assurance  of  length  of  days.  The  sun  of  Mr. 
Goddard  went  down  while  it  was  yet  high  noon.  Nay 
more ;  how  solemnly  are  we  taught,  that  every  one 
of  us  is  walking  upon  the  borders  of  eternity,  and 
that  the  very  next  footstep  may  be  planted  within 
the  limits  of  the  world  unseen.  We  commence  a 
week  in  health,  but  where  shall  we  be  at  the  end  of 
it  ?  We  rise  in  the  morning,  buoyant  with  hope,  but 
God  only  knows  who  of  us  shall  look  upon  the  sha- 
dows of  the  evening.  We  arrange  our  plans  for  the 
hour,  but  ere  they  are  half  completed,  we  are  num- 
bered with  the  dead.  We  commence  a  conversation, 
but  while  the  words  yet  linger  on  our  lips,  we  are  in 
eternity.  Can  there  be  one  among  us  who  mistakes 
the  lesson  which  these  conditions  of  our  being  are 


28 

intended  to  inculcate  ?  They  surely  teach  us  that 
we  can  only  live  wisely  as  we  live  in  habitual  pre- 
paration for  death.  Let  us  then  give  all  diligence  to 
make  our  calling  and  election  sure,  for  so  an  en- 
trance shall  be  abundantly  ministered  to  us,  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ. 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  are  the  resolutions  adopted  by  several  of  the  public  bodies  with  which 
Mr.  Goddard  was  connected  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Faculty  of  Brown  University,  held  February 
17th,  1846,  the  President  announced  the  death  of  William 
Giles  Goddaed,  formerly  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  and 
Metaphysics,  and  more  recently  of  Belles  Lettres,  in  the  Uni- 
versity, and  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Fellows,  and  Secretary  of  the  Corporation. 

Whereupon,  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unani- 
mously adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  entered  upon  the  records  of 
the  Faculty  : 

It  having  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove  from  this  life 
William  Giles  Goddakd,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  Alumnus  of  this 
University,  for  many  years  one  of  its  most  successful  instructors, 
and  through  life  one  of  its  most  efficient  friends,  a  gentleman 
eminent  alike  for  rich  and  varied  learning,  elegant  scholarship  and 
refined  taste,  as  well  as  for  high  attainment  in  all  the  graces  of 
pure  Christianity  and  enlarged  philanthropy  ; 

Resolved,  That  we  cherish  a  profound  veneration  for  the  talents, 
virtues  and  services  of  our  late  associate  and  friend. 

That  we  tender  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  the  expression  of 
our  sincere  sympathy  on  the  occasion  of  their  irreparable  loss. 

That,  as  a  Faculty,  we  will  attend  the  funeral  solemnities,  and 
that  the  exercises  of  the  College  be  suspended  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  day  on  which  they  take  place. 

That  the  President  of  the  University  be  requested  to  deliver  a 
discourse  in  commemoration  of  the  life  and  services  of  Professor 
Goddard ;  and 


30 


That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  the  family  of 
the  deceased,  and  published  in  one  of  the  papers  of  this  city. 

F.  WAYLAND,  President. 
George  I.  Chace,  Secretary. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  School  Committee  of  the  city  of  Providence, 
holden  at  the  City  Council  Chamber,  on  Friday,  the  20th  of 
February  1846,  the  President  having  announced  the  death  of 
William  G.  Goddard,  a  member  of  this  Committee,  which  mel- 
ancholy event  occurred  at  his  residence  on  Monday  the  16th 
instant,  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unani- 
mously adopted  and  ordered  to  be  placed  upon  the  records : 

Wheaeas,  it  has  pleased  the  Disposer  of  all  events  suddenly  to 
remove  from  this  life  William  Giles  Goddard,  Esq.  who  has 
been  for  the  last  nine  years  a  member  of  this  body ;  who  cherished 
with  equal  ardor  the  interests  of  popular  education  and  those  of 
refined  literature ;  and  who  was  ever  ready  with  his  matured  coun- 
sel, his  liberal  hand  and  his  gifted  pen,  to  cooperate  with  his  fellow 
citizens  in  every  enterprise  for  the  advancement  of  good  morals 
and  social  improvement ;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Goddard,  this  Committee  has 
lost  one  of  its  most  judicious  and  efficient  members,  the  city  one 
of  its  worthiest  and  most  accomplished  citizens,  and  elegant  learn- 
ing one  of  its  greatest  ornaments. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  our 
unaffected  sympathy  and  condolence  in  this  their  most  afflictive 
bereavement. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  our 
lamented  associate  —  a  tribute  demanded  alike  by  his  eminent 
private  virtues  and  public  worth  —  we  will,  in  a  body,  attend  the 
funeral  solemnities,  which  are  to  take  place  this  day. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  signed  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  Secretary,  be  communicated  to  the  family  of  the  de- 
ceased, and  that  the  same  be  published  in  the  newspapers  of  this 

city. 

THOMAS  M.  BURGESS,  President. 
Edward  R.  Young,  Secretary. 


31 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Directors  of  the  Providence  Athenaeum,  3d  Mo. 
2d,  1846,  the  death  of  William  G.  Goddard,  since  the  last  meet- 
ing of  this  Board,  having  been  announced  by  the  President,  the 
following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

Whereas,  an  inscrutable  Providence  has  suddenly  removed  from 
among  us  William  G.  Goddard,  a  member  of  this  Board,  and 
from  its  organization,  until  his  recent  resignation,  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  this  institution,  and  one  of  its  principal  founders  ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  deeply  lament  the  loss  which  we  have  sus- 
tained in  the  death  of  one  whose  enlightened  zeal  and  liberal  and 
active  exertions  contributed  to  lay  so  broad  and  deep  the  founda- 
tion of  this  institution,  and  whose  continued  care  and  labor  have 
been  unceasing  for  the  promotion  of  its  usefulness  and  prosperity. 

Resolved,  That  in  placing  upon  record  an  expression  of  our  sor- 
row at  this  afflictive  bereavement,  we  cannot  do  justice  to  our  feel- 
ings by  a  mere  compliance  with  the  forms  which  custom  has 
prescribed.  Such  an  expression  would  be  far  too  inadequate  to  the 
occasion.  Whilst  we  mourn  the  loss  of  a  founder  and  a  benefactor, 
we  feel  that  by  his  death  this  community  has  lost  one  of  its  most 
valuable  and  patriotic  citizens,  a  firm  friend  of  constitutional  free- 
dom, whose  mind,  of  rich  scholarship,  rare  accomplishments  and 
practical  wisdom,  was  ever  devoted  to  the  cause  of  literature  and 
science,  and  to  the  great  work  of  social  improvement. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  be  directed  to  communicate  a  cer- 
tified copy  of  these  resolutions  to  the  family  of  the  deceased,  as 
expressive  of  our  sympathy  in  their  deep  affliction. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  upon  the  records  of 
this  Board,  and  be  published. 

A  true  copy  —  Attest. 

SAMUEL  AUSTIN,  Secretary, 


W3 


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